Brothers scattered by military together again for Christmas

Bob and Melissa Cook got three special presents when they awoke Christmas morning.

The presents had names: Brendan, Bob Jr. and Joe. It was the first time in five years the three Cook brothers were home for Christmas at the same time.

Military duties have kept them apart until now. Brendan, 25, and Bob Jr., 28, both in the U.S. Army, were home in Wauconda on leave.

Joe Cook, 23, came home from Iraq in late 2007 after losing the lower part of his left leg to a roadside bomb. A former Army specialist, he now has a civilian job and walks with a prosthesis.

On Thursday, Melissa Cook soaked up the sight of her three sons together on a living room couch.

"I couldn't be more thrilled," she said. "It was so exciting to know I was going to have all three."

Last year, instead of a warm home, children's laughter and a menu of ham, turkey, two kinds of dressing and apple-walnut cake, Bob Jr. spent Christmas Day in Iraq, holed up in a guard tower.

"It was just another day," said Bob Jr., whose wife, Jennifer, and their kids also were with him Thursday.

"There was a big blow-up reindeer on top of the aid station, but that was really it."

Brendan, meanwhile, was on duty outside of Baghdad last year, enduring an altogether forgettable Christmas.

Bob Jr. had a four-day pass and was scheduled to return today, Friday, to Fort Campbell, Ky. He said a deployment to Afghanistan is possible next year but he won't dwell on it.

For Bob Jr., being away from home comes with his Army job. His enlistment runs another six years.

"It's worth it to make the sacrifice," he said.

Brendan will return to Fort Sam Houston in Texas in about a week, but his Army commitment is expected to end soon. He may pursue an education at the University of Illinois.

Joe Cook is working with his neighbor in a business that provides valet parking at veterans hospitals in Illinois and Wisconsin.

Melissa Cook said while she and her husband appreciate having their sons home for Christmas, they know many military families weren't so lucky.

"We'd like to tell all the other families that have kids over there that we're thinking about them," she said. "We keep all of them in our prayers."

Added her husband, Bob: "God bless all of those wonderful kids out there serving their country."